Two farmers and some troublesome berries
by Powerberry
Summary: Are you back? Don't you remember? The stings and the shocks? Your past life? The harvest goddess? The sprites? The springs? The destiny and the missions? Shit Claire, get yourself together! It's Jack. We need the berries.
1. Chapter 1: The farm, the blonde, the odd

It was a change of scenery for Claire. At this point, she didn't know if it's a good change or a bad one. She was tired of her cyclical life; eat, work, sleep, repeat. The pattern rang inside her head like a dull chore.

At the young age of 21, Claire Amadeux managed to work herself up to get a job that paid the bills. Just the basic necessities of life were all she needed. But was it all she wanted?

She had no exact vision in mind. What did she want? She knew she had no passion, goddess sake she had no passion for anything at all. But was she content though? There was something she wanted, something hidden behind her laid-back self. Something she knew she wouldn't find in the city.

No. Not in the city.

It was just her and her empty spacious apartment. This wasn't her mindset before though, she used to love the city. But that memory was now locked away somewhere in her brain.

But... she felt as if a huge part of her was missing. That she was a facade, and a new Claire would soon be emerging. She knew. She was sure of it. The pulsing in her blood, the very blood that ran through her veins. She was meant for something bigger. So when the advertisement for the farm showed up on the very same night she contemplated about her life, she knew. This was it. This was her chance to know herself, to find herself.

Risk-taker was a subtle way she described herself, if not a fool. When Claire saw the farm in person, she froze. She wasn't stupid, she knew that quitting her job and spending the last of her savings for a farm she'd only seen in an advertisement once was a big risk.

A risk she stubbornly shoved aside. But still... how she hoped...

Another term she describes herself was that she was a fighter, and a fighter she was alright. Never would Claire back down from a fight. May the gods and goddesses help her.

All the built up emotions inside her wanted to escape. Anger, denial, self-loathing, helplessness, hopelessness. And the Mayor dared to provocate her. Even worse, he made her look like a fool.

Everything after that was red.

Without a thought, she picked up her hammer from inside her sack. Mind you, it was a big hammer. She didn't know where she got all that strength from but she managed to swing it from above. But she was too slow.

Fortunate for the short Mayor, who seconds before was laughing at her. He managed to dodge the smash, a cry escape from his lips. Surprisingly, Claire liked it. Claire heaved as she tried to lift her hammer again, but all that stamina was now gone.

Well then, if I can't smash, I can slash.

Throwing the hammer aside she opted for a sickle. The man began to move backward. Claire let out heavy pants, her face flushed. The short man was shaking, his face driven by fear. Then she slashed.

Had she killed a man? She felt like she hit something, or something stopped her.

A firm hand wrapped around the snath of the sickle, causing her arms to buckle and release her grip.

"I don't know what's happening here, but if he did something to harm you I'd help you cut him to pieces." Claire's sapphire blue eyes widened.

A guy stood in front of her, his frame stood between Claire and the short bastard. Her sickle in his left hand.

"I'm-i'm really sorry Miss," The short man shakingly walked towards her, fiddling his fingers. Claire still found it hard to catch her breath. She bent downwards and placed her hands on her knees, her golden blonde bangs hiding the tears that almost fell from her eyes. Pathetic.

"I'm Mayor Thomas, the mayor of this lovely town. It's nice to meet you, Miss?" Silence. Holding back tears was something Claire wasn't good at. You see, she was an expressive person, but she didn't want to show her weak sides yet.

Mustering the last of her courage, she managed to speak out. "Claire. Claire Amadeux." She said as she stood straight and faced the mayor, giving a glance to the guy beside him. His son, maybe? He was roughly her age, except maybe a few years older.

"I'm sorry that you had to sell everything you had just to buy the farm," Claire balled her fists, her mouth pressed into a thin line. Yes, she confessed. She was an idiot for that, but she didn't need to tell him that.

"It once was a glorious ranch but the owner passed away months ago, no one wanted to take over the farm, so the MT realtor made the advertisement sound cheesier hopi-"

Someone cleared his throat. It wasn't Claire. The Mayor and the blonde looked at the young man. Who by the way, was still holding Claire's old sickle. "This is where I have to speak. If you don't mind me introducing myself. The names Jack. Jack Jackson and I believe this farm now belongs to me." The words came out from his lips smoothly, and he directedly looked at Claire.

The words itself sounded hysterically funny, at least that's what Claire thought first. "Well, you must be lost. I bought this farm a little while back. So why don't you run along?" The words came out rudely than she expected it to be. The moment their eyes locked, brown meeting blue, something clicked. No, not that silly love at first sight children called. It was competition, a challenge.

They say that the eyes are windows to the soul. Claire believed that. His eyes glinted in mischief, but something told her that he was someone not to be taken lightly.

"Well listen up blondie, as much as I'd love to have a beautiful girl sleeping with me, I'm afraid you're mistaken. I mean, unless you'd like to work for me of course." He rose an eyebrow, a coy smirk appeared on his face. Claire couldn't help but notice that he was... odd. He had a pull on her. Everything about him screamed 'charm'. That pissed off Claire even more.

Before she could retort, the Mayor interjected. "Now, now, I'm sure that there must be a civil way to settle this." He said, giving Claire a look. The guy named Jack handed him a paper. The mayor read it, his face contorting in confusion.

"I'll call the MT realtor to give you a full refund, I deeply apologize for the misunderstanding." The mayor said slightly wincing atthe blonde's stern look. She didn't care if it's a wrecked farm, I mean yeah she did, but keeping the farm was more important. "No. I'm keeping the farm. I bought it. If we need to discuss it more I'll call my lawyer." Claire hoped they didn't call it a bluff, she barely had any money left to get back to the city.

The brunet's brows rose. He stared at her for a moment and cocked his head to the side. A visible smile on his face. Claire had a feeling that this guy was playing with her. "You know. Even if you call a lawyer, you know I'd win. The rights to the farm belong to me. But I'm giving you a bargain here." He chuckled.

Claire shot him daggers. Yeah sure he could win, but we don't know that, right? I mean, I'm not backing down from a fight. But why was this place in the market anyway if there already was a will?

"Ohhhh I just had the most pleasant idea!" The Mayor cut the blonde's train of thoughts. "W-well why don't you... both run the farm? It would be good for Mineral Town. Both of you have...equal rights to the farm, and judging by how it looks. Two working together would be better than one. And in no time this farm would return to its former glory!" The Mayor said as his hands fidgeted, looking very cautious. Claire scoffed. But it actually was a pretty good idea, she knew she lacked the physical strength to remove all those rocks and boulders. A partner would come in handy, but she was sure that having him as a partner wouldn't work out.

She eyed Jack warily. He was tall, she barely reached past his shoulders.. or maybe she was just short. Then Claire realized that she was eyeing him obviously. She quickly averted her glance to the mayor and before she can speak, the mayor opened his mouth.

"Well, Would you look at the time! The decision is for the both of you to make. Both of you can discuss the matter, and let's settle it tomorrow. I, on the other hand, have responsibilities to be taken care of at the Valley. Don't forget to say hello to the neighbors!" The mayor chirped in, and with that, he left the farm. Leaving the blonde and brunet alone.

Making sure the Mayor was gone, Claire decided to speak, but Jack beat her to it. "Nice to meet you again, Claire Amadeux." He said, smiling at her, while extended his left arm and handing her the

sickle.

Again?

**_-_-_-_-_-_****Leave a review or some suggestions if you please!****Thank you for taking your time to read this.**


	2. Chapter 2: The shocks and stings

How did things turn out this badly? Less than a week ago she had a job, and it paid nicely too. She had an apartment with airconditioning. Then she realized that those were the only things she once had in the city. A job and an apartment.

Now she was on a run-down farm with less than a thousand gold left and having problems with ownership rights. Less than a day in and she was already regretting her decisions. Not the decision to leave the city, but the decision of buying a farm right away without looking for other options. A full refund would be good, she could look for a new place. But... that would take a lot of work, and she didn't want to go through it.

Here she was sitting on the couch of a dead man's house negotiating with the heir. Speaking of the house, Claire liked it. Small and dusty, sure, but on the bright side, it was furnished! Not much furniture though, but good enough for her to start. She came to realize that she hadn't been listening to the man in front of her.

She came here to farm dammit, she didn't want to talk about terms or policies. The young man in front of her was more... politic than she would have guessed. He knew what he was talking about alright, but Claire was hearing none of it. She was going to make her own rules. She let out a groan, successfully cutting off the man. "Alright, we share EQUAL rights to the farm. So the farm is yours and mine. So I'm not working with you. WE are working on the farm together, Deal?" Claire was surprised that the tone came off so casually. She just wanted it over with. She extended her right hand to him, her face saying 'this is business, shake the hand'.

The young brunet looked at her amusingly. Claire thought that an idiot was probably Jack's first impression of her, she'll prove him wrong...or right. The brunet smiled at her, Claire can see the same glint of mischief in his eyes. She almost shuddered at the sight. She's met...entrancing strangers before. People who have that aura around them, pulling you in, you never know you were under their spell unless they were gone. He raised his left hand, which was weird. Claire gave him a confused look. Does he not know how to shake a hand? She was extending her right hand! Dismissing the thought, Claire shook his left hand with her left one, and as soon as they touched, a jolt of electricity sparked through her. She let out a small yelp and pulled away quickly.

Wha... Did he feel it?

Jack was only smirking at her. She quickly glanced at his hand, looking for some sort of shock device. She guessed not.

If the brunet hadn't spoken, she would've still been in shock, literally. "Glad to hear it. I'm gonna go and buy some seeds." Was all he said before giving her a side glance and walking out the door. The blonde looked at her watch, noting that it was 4:00 PM. She decided not to dwell on it. Maybe Claire should meet the villagers too. Picking up her rucksack, she followed suit.

Rustic roads and fresh air greeted her. In the distance, she heard the clucking of chickens and the mooing of cows. If there was one word to describe Mineral Town, it was well... Mineral. The air here was crystal clear and it made her feel some sense of nostalgia...like she's been here before. She took her time to get acquainted with the surroundings. The change she wanted was to have a slow pace of life, unlike the bustling streets of the city. She willed herself not to think about it. From this point forward, she'll be looking ahead. No more thinking about the past.

The houses were simple and straightforward, they weren't big, they weren't small neither. A dirty shade of white painted the outer walls with brown wood lining the windows and red roofs that sheltered the buildings. She loved the fact that they placed plant pots outside. Yellow and white flowers decorated the houses. The spring wind giving a sense of calmness. Everywhere she turned there were green, grass, and trees. She made a side note to research on what type of trees and flowers that grew here. Weird though, how many minutes had she been walking? No one seemed to roam the streets.

She trudged through the path with chickens and cows, it was a beautiful sight, but the smell was something to get used to. She arrived at the town square, to her relief she finally saw people.

Three women stood on the far east corner. They seemed to be a lot older than Claire was, judging from the way they dressed. One woman wore an elegant green dress with round puffed sleeves, her black short hair gracefully styled, reminding Claire of those fancy classy women in films. Another woman had her blonde hair tied up in a neat braided bun, a simple sleeved white shirt under a blue dress. The other wore a rounder dress, with the bottom part being blue and the top part black with sleeves, a white shawl wrapped around her neck; she also had black short hair with bangs.Claire thought she looked more youthful than the other two.

From the looks of it, they were having a fun conversation, and Claire could hear bits and pieces as she walked closer.

"A charming young man isn't he?"

"If only I were younger..."

"Watch your tongue Manna, but I do hope he gets to meet my daughter."

As Claire approached, all three of them turned to her. "What's this? I haven't seen you here before." Before Claire could introduce herself the woman with bangs openedher mouth."Oh! Of course! Your the other farmer Thomas was talking about! Oh! I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Manna I run the winery here with my husband, Duke. Everyone here is-" Claire could barely process the information. Thankfully the woman in the green dress interjected.

"Manna, you're scaring the girl. I'm Anna, nice to meet you." The woman in the green dress spoke, her voice was sophisticated and mature, no wonder she dressed like it.

"Good Afternoon, I'm Claire. Nice to meet you." The blue-eyed girl smiled.

"Oh. So you're from the city? It's rare to see new faces in Mineral Town. We're glad to have you here. I'm Sasha, I run the supermarket with my family." The woman with emerald green eyes said.

"Do people stay in their houses during this time of the day?" Claire asked. She was confused, it's barely dark out; why wouldn't anyone want to take a stroll outside in a town like this? This place was lovely. Manna, who seemed to know a lot of information answered. "It's a small village. You could always visit them in their houses. Oh! Wouldn't that be a pleasant idea! Would you like us to introduce you to the other folks?" Claire was slightly taken aback by how homely they were.

"Thank you but, I wouldn't want to take too much time from you. Thank you for the offer though, I'm sure I'll be alright." False. Claire knew herself, even in a small town she'd be lost. "Oh well. Do visit us sometime." Sasha said. With that Claire left the square, and headed for whatever building she saw first.

A church. That's what she saw first. It was a simple, beautiful church. But it was bone chilling to see gravestones beside it. Once she entered, a long red carpet stretched up to the front. Church pews arranged in rows. Simple yet elegant. A man wearing black clerical clothing stood by a man with... weird clothes. He wore a brown open vest made out of thick material with its collar made of fur, a brown belt keeping it in place. His undershirt was a darker shade of brown. And are those... harem pants? With bandages around it?

"He's a nice guy don't you think?"

"Y-yeah. He seems friendly."

Claire walked towards them, though they didn't seem to notice her. So she decided to talk first. She nervously wiped her palms on the sides of her jeans.

"Good afternoon." Claire slightly bowed her head at the pastor, who looked like he had no eyes from that smile. "Why, hello. Are you a tourist?" The pastor seemed kind, he smiled genuinely at Claire.

"I'm Claire, I'll be running the farm. Glad to meet you." Claire noticed that the man wearing weird clothes had long brown hair tied in a low ponytail.

"Ah. You must be the other farmer. My name is Carter, I'm the pastor here as you can tell. But more importantly, this young man here is Cliff." The pastor gestured the man beside him. To whom Claire smiled at but the blonde only received a flinch in return. He looked awfully shy and bashful.

"Now, why don't you young ones talk? I forgot I have to make a speech for-er... something. See you." The pastor went behind the door, that she guessed would be the confessional. Something told Claire that he wasn't making a speech.

"Hi.. I... um...I'm Cliff." Awkward greetings. Claire could tell this guy was an introvert. She could also tell that he was cute if only he'd wipe away that sad expression on his face. Now that she could see his face clearly, he had thick brows and brown eyes. His face looked young, so Claire guessed that he wasn't any older than she was.

"Nice to meet you Cliff, I hope we become good friends." Claire beamed at him, extending out her right hand. First impressions matter right? Claire hoped she didn't look like an idiot. Hesitantly, he reached out with his right hand. It was a good thing he knows how to shake hands. As soon as he shook it, she felt the spark again. Except this time, she managed to hold her yelp. She retracted her hand quickly, making Cliff look at her confusingly. Didn't he feel it?

"Hello Cliff!" Claire thanked the goddesses, she couldn't bare awkward silences. An orange haired girl wearing a yellow shirt and denim overalls came in. The smell of food instantly filled Claire's nose. "Who's this?" She looked younger than Claire, her orange hair was tied up in a tight braid, a white ribbon placed neatly around it.

"Hi...uhm ..hi Ann. This is Claire, the new farmer." Cliff looked extra bashful around Ann. He was a fidgeting mess. The orange haired girl looked at her curiously.

"Another farmer?" So Jack already met everyone huh. "Nice to meet ya, the name's Ann." The girl placed the container on Cliff's hands before extending her hand to the blonde.Claire looked at it warily, she was afraid she'd get electrocuted again. To her annoyance, it sparked. Claire tried not to pull back, she didn't want to come off as rude. She looked at Ann, observing if she felt it too. How come she was the only one who felt it? Maybe it was a country thing. After saying their farewells, Claire left the two of them alone; Heading towards whatever building was next. Maybe she was just imagining things.

She was relieved when she found out that it was the Clinic. She was worried that a town as small as this wouldn't have one. When she entered, she was surprised to know that it was better looking than what she expected. It looked like a decent clinic, white tiles, white walls, plants, and blue curtains. There was airconditioning too. Claire reminded herself to fake injuries in the future just in case she wanted to feel cold.

"Hello, do you need any help?" Claire immediately snapped her head at the source of the voice. Her voice sounded so gentle. A girl stood behind the desk. She wore a light blue dress with brown hair barely reaching her shoulders.

Claire walked towards the reception. "Hello, I'm Claire. I'm the other farmer." Claire felt like she needed to shake her hand, so she did to test her theory. And it was painful to do so, she felt the same spark. "I'm Elli, the town nurse. I work for the Doctor. Lovely to meet you." Claire pulled back her hand. She was slowly getting used to this. After parting from the nurse, she recounted the people she's met. Anna, Manna, Sasha, Carter, Cliff, Ann, and Elli. Checking her watch she noted that it was 5 pm. Was there enough time to meet everyone?

"Hello, what seems to be the problem?" Claire was now facing the doctor. He was young, looking about in his late twenties. What do they call those round thingies on their heads again? "This is called a head mirror. Why do you ask?" Claire jumped. Had she been thinking out loud?

"Oh no, I'm here to introduce myself. I'm Claire." The doctor surveyed her, and she felt like she was being intruded.

"Hmmm, must be the other farmer. Are you sure you'd be fine on the farm? Oh no, don't mind my babbling." The doctor did the dreaded gesture of shaking hands, so Claire complied, she was prepared for the shock though.

"I'm Doctor Trent. But people around here just call me doctor. Nice to meet you. Feel free to visit the clinic if you feel unwell." The doctor can be blunt. Claire forced a smile, then she went out. She didn't appreciate the comment the doctor made about her running the farm though. It was quite offensive. She may not look like it, but she could swing an axe. She just did it earlier that day!

She felt like an idiot again. It was embarrassing. But who could blame her? She acted on impulse, the mayor was laughing at her for goddess's sake! But still though...she shouldn't have resorted to violence. Meh. She didn't regret it. The frightened face of the Mayor came back to her. Good stuff. He better respect her. Claire then reprimanded herself. Frightened at her dark side. Pushing the thoughts aside she focused on the path in front of her.

So... what's next? The next building, which happened to be the supermarket was closed. A dead end for her. She didn't want to visit the people in their houses, because that was weird. Then she remembered that she passed by an Inn a while ago. If she wanted to meet new people, the Inn would probably be the best place to go. Also, she needed a snack. The sun started to set. The blue sky now swirling in colors of orange and red. She better hurry.

She arrived just in time. It looked small for an Inn though. The doors creaked as she pushed them open. There she saw the same orange haired girl she met at the church. What was her name again? Ann was behind the counter with a man, who Claire assumed was her father. The inn didn't have air conditioning, bummer, but at least there were ceiling fans. The Inn was simple but it had a nice homely feel to it. Wood floors, bricked walls, and round wooden tables draped with checkered tablecloths.

Claire sauntered to the counter. She could use a meal, it did take her two days of travel to come to this place.

"Hiya Claire! Welcome to Doug's Inn!" Ann greeted her from the counter. Claire was grateful when Ann took the initiative to introduce her to the man.

"Dad this is Claire, she'll be running the farm along with Jack." The man had the same hair color as his daughter, the only difference Claire saw was the eyes. Ann had blue ones, while he had brown ones.

"Hello there Claire. A pleasure to meet ya. Call me Doug. Running that rundown farm takes a lotta grit. I respect that. Ann why don't you lead this young lady to a table while I prepare for the gathering." How much money did Claire have left?

Claire followed Ann to a table. The ginger seemed to read the blonde's mind."Don't worry about it, this one's on the house, besides, you're our neighbor now! Next time you'll have to pay though. So, have you met the folks yet?" Claire absolutely loved this town, she was sure of it. Claire was broke, she wasn't going to reject free food. "Thank you, Ann. I- uh only met a few. Since it's late and all. The supermarket was already closed when I tried, but I did meet Sasha." Claire recalled the names again. "Anna, Manna, Sasha, Carter, Cliff, Ann, Doug, Elli, and the Doctor." Only 8 people.

"Don't worry about it. It's a new year. People will be flooding the Inn in no time. It's kinda a tradition here since the storm was kinda strong last winter. Make yourself comfortable. I gotta go help Dad. He's gonna need all the help he could get, coz' In about an hour, 30 people will come banging on the door. I'll introduce you if you want. See ya in a bit." Thirty people? Claire barely met a third of them!

"Well, uhm. Could I pitch in? I know how to cook, but only the basics of course!... Since I am having a free meal." The hospitality they showed here was heartwarming. It was the least Claire could do, but honestly, she didn't want to help. Ann didn't seem to mind. "Really? That's great! I mean, if that's what you want. No point in rejecting it. It's a win-win situation." Without another word, the ginger grinned and led the blonde to the back door.

Claire's jaw dropped. She underestimated the Inn, it was big. In front of her was a full sized kitchen almost the size of her farmhouse. To her right was a hallway leading to a room. The kitchen was furnished differently compared to the rest of the inn. The walls and tiles on the floor were white, it looked like a kitchen used in those tv shows. Her mouth watered at the sight of full coursed meals. There was corn, pizza, cheese, dumplings and many more. Doug stood there whisking up some ingredients, his eyes focused on the batter.

"There you are, Ann. Stop wasting time and start cooking the eggs." He didn't seem to acknowledge Claire's presence. Again, the ginger seemed to read the blonde's mind. "Yeah, I know right? He did all of that in five hours. I'll beat him one day though." Ann muttered. Now Claire doubted they would need any of her help, the fact that cooking was not her skill set.

"Claire's gonna be helping, Dad!" That caught the attention of Doug. "Ann! She's our guest, we-" Before he could say more Ann cut him off.

"WE still haven't made the food for the mountain people! You know how much they eat!" Ann handed Claire an apron, her face saying 'It's gonna get messy'. Claire promptly tied her golden blonde hair into a ponytail, she hated tying it. It was because of the hair tie, two knots was too loose, but three knots was too tight. She felt like her scalp was gonna rip off. Doug sighed, knowing that his daughter was right.

"All right, all right. Thank you, Claire." He grumbled before quickly getting back to work.

Ann wasn't kidding, things did get messy. Claire was assigned to do the basic egg dishes. While Doug and Ann worked on everything else. Claire was amazed watching the father-daughter duo. They would fight over which ingredient would put in first or which one would taste better. They were so alike yet different. It was awkward for her though, but at least she was learning new recipes.

After she was done cooking the eggs, she felt pretty much useless. She wanted to ask, but before she could the father and daughter would bicker. They talked about the color gray, the mountain people, someone who hated sweets and someone who wanted sweets and other subjects that Claire couldn't relate to. So Claire just awkwardly stood at the corner, making sure she wasn't blocking the way for them.

They moved so quickly, must be the result of years of hard work. Watching them, Claire began to wonder where the mother was. Between their quarreling, there was no mention of the subject. She decided to hold her tongue.

Claire hadn't made up her mind on whether the room smelled amazing or not. Different scents filled the air. Fish, freshly baked cake, Dimsum, Cheese, Eggs. The variety of food made Claire's eyes twinkle. Look at all that food. Egg dishes. Dessert. Mushroom dishes. Salads. Soups. All the variety you could think of. There wasn't any chicken or beef though, which made Claire wonder. Maybe they were vegetarian but that couldn't be true, they eat fish.

After standing like a lamp post for about ten minutes or so, they finally gave her some work to do. And that was setting up the dishes. Carefully, Claire placed the plates on the long counter. She made sure to place them carefully so that everything would fit.

It was getting dark. Her watch says that it was 7:15 PM. She began to wonder where she'll be sleeping. The farmhouse was technically hers, right? But it was Jack's too. She couldn't afford to stay the night here. She'll have to sort it out with him later.

True to Ann's words one by one, the residents came in. Claire felt embarrassed at the unfamiliar looks they gave her. Her palms started sweating, and she couldn't bring herself to stay still. When she made eye contact with someone, she didn't know if she needed to say hi or look away, but she always did the latter.

The crowd became thicker and thicker, and it was getting noisier. Claire started to feel anxious and nauseated. The emotions crashed on her. She was becoming aware that this wasn't the city. It wasn't the same people. She wasn't just working part-time in a cafe. She wasn't returning to her apartment. And that she really bought a farm. Whatever happened to her determination a while ago? She managed to talk to 8 people right? How was this any different?

More people came in. Old people came in.

When they finally finished setting up. Ann excused herself and told Claire that she was free to go. The only problem was that Claire didn't know where to go, so there she was standing awkwardly again. She suddenly wanted to socialize, because they seemed like nice people and she wanted to be part of the community.

She challenged herself to talk to whoever first came in.She hoped Ann would help to introduce her to the people, she seemed to know everyone. She clasped her hands tightly behind her, her fingers tapping against each other, she waited eagerly. The door started to open, and it felt like the world was moving slower.

Claire saw brown shoes first, then she saw beige. Unlucky for her, the one who came in was a guy. He wore a sleeved beige jumpsuit, and a flat baseball cap with the capitalized word UMA printed on it. What UMA meant she didn't know. Underneath the cap, she saw blonde hair or was it orange? Claire felt powerful once again. She made her way towards him. His piercing gaze shot through her. Sapphire blue eyes met blue-gray ones.

"I..uh... Hi. I'm Claire." She extended her hand. It was all she could say before her stomach grumbled. Dammit. Goddess, I'm hungry. My stomach hurts. She didn't care if she embarrassed herself. She needed to refuel. "Hi? You must be the other farmer. The name's Gray. Welcome to the boonies." He gave her a slight smile and he shook her hand. To which Claire quickly withdrew. Her hand felt the sting, and she remembered all the other handshakes. Gray looked at her funny then went to a table.

What the... She checked her hand. No signs of burns, no signs of wires. It looked completely normal. She almost forgot about those little stings she received. It all started with that guy Jack. The last time she felt that was with the doctor. To hell with it, she just needed food. She brushed the thought out of her head.

Mission accomplished. Time to reward myself.

Claire walked towards the counter, grabbing all the salty food she could find. Which was cheese, fish, fries, and eggs. They didn't go well together, but she craved for something salty. Scanning the area, she looked for Ann. She was the only person she felt comfortable with. (Because she was the only person she's successfully befriended) She looked for the familiar white ribbon. Ann was sitting beside a pink haired girl and a blondish brunette. Claire started to walk towards them, she could socialize with them, they seemed her age so why not?

The door opened, and three children came running in. Everyone's gazes turned to the door, so Claire followed. There she saw an old woman sitting in a wheelchair, behind her was Jack, who was pushing the wheelchair.

Claire didn't know what the big deal was, but soon everybody cheered and greeted the old woman. People shouting out "Ellen" and rushing to her side. Claire could only watch the scenario, she felt really out of place. Someone nudged her shoulder, and being the jumpy person she is, she almost let go of the plate in her hands.

Jack was suddenly beside her, gesturing her to follow him. The blonde eyed him suspiciously, but then placed her plate on a nearby table. She followed him to the second floor of the Inn, which was stupid of her really. Why does she keep making the wrong decisions? At least there were people downstairs, so if she screamed really loud, they would hear her right?

"Are you back?" Jack asked, his arms crossed impatiently. The mischief Claire once saw in his eyes was now replaced with cold calculating eyes. But what was he talking about?

"What do you mean 'are you back'?" Claire tilted her head to the side, had she heard the question right? The brunet in front of her sighed. But then was quickly replaced with a low chuckle. "Typical Claire, always getting side-tracked. Really? Last time you were swimming, now your helping with cooking?" He cussed out. What? Claire was starting to think that this guy was absolute bonkers.

The brunet looked at her seriously, before biting his lower lip and shaking his head, his eyes shooting daggers at her. "Forget I said anything. Just go meet everyone already." Jack walked passed her. "Oh and here." He placed something in her hand before walking down the stairs.

Claire stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of what just happened. Back? Swimming? What? She realized that she didn't feel the sting when their hands touched. Was that man okay? He must be delusional or something.

The object in her hand felt like a square wrapped in plastic. She took a quick glance at it. Oh. It was pads. Wai- PADS!!! Claire looked at it more closely, thinking she was mistaken. Yep. She wasn't mistaken. As if on cue, her abdomen started to cramp.


End file.
